Method for displaying shrunk article of clothing

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing includes the steps of providing a shrunk article of clothing entirely reduced in size obtained by subjecting an article of clothing having a single large size to a tying process and/or a shrinking process, the shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with a tying string for performing the tying/shrinking process, and displaying the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string in a state that the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string is held in a predetermined shape without subjecting the shrunk article of clothing to a finishing process of removing the tying string from the shrunk article of clothing. Thus, a user can selectively subject the shrunk article of clothing to the finishing process to obtain a shrunk article of clothing with elasticity due to the tying process and/or the shrinking process as a final product capable of fitting a wearer of any size.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing, a shrunk article of clothing to be displayed by the method and a method of selling the shrunk article of clothing.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,336 and Japanese Patent No. 3,150,946, the present inventor has proposed a shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size manufactured by subjecting an article of clothing having a single large size to a tying process and a heat shrinking process, so that an entire portion of the single large size article of clothing fits a wearer of any size.

[0005] This kind of shrunk article of clothing is put on sale as a finished product in a state that a purchaser can try it on. At the time of selling this kind of shrunk article of clothing, it will be displayed by the same method as normal clothing. For example, the shrunk article of clothing is displayed in a state that it is put on a mannequin. According to this conventional display method, since a purchaser can correctly recognize the shape and the size of the shrunk article of clothing, a purchaser can assuredly select their desired one. Thus, there is little possibility of trouble occurring because purchased clothing differs from the purchaser's desired one.

[0006] After the purchasing of the clothing, however, there is no room for the user/purchaser to enjoy unexpected nature of the article of clothing because the user/purchaser clearly recognizes the nature of the shrunk article of clothing such as the color, the patterns, the shape and the size at the time of purchasing it and that the displayed shrunk article of clothing is a finished product.

[0007] Thus, a conventional method of displaying a shrunk article of clothing fails to provide unexpected nature after the purchase of the clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing capable of providing unexpected nature after the purchase thereof.

[0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing capable of concealing the nature of the shrunk article of clothing at the time of the displaying.

[0010] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing capable of giving a purchaser a chance of participating the finishing process of the shrunk article of clothing after the purchase.

[0011] According to the present invention, a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing, includes the steps of:

[0012] providing a shrunk article of clothing entirely reduced in size obtained by subjecting an article of clothing having a single large size to a tying process and/or a shrinking process, the shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with a tying string for performing the tying/shrinking process; and

[0013] displaying the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string in a state that the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string is held in a predetermined shape without subjecting the shrunk article of clothing to a finishing process of removing the tying string from the shrunk article of clothing, whereby a purchaser can selectively subject the shrunk article of clothing to the finishing process to obtain a shrunk article of clothing with elasticity due to the tying process and/or the shrinking process as a final product capable of fitting a wearer of any size.

[0014] According to the present invention, the shrunk article of clothing is displayed in an extremely reduced state. A purchaser of this shrunk article of clothing can recognize the nature of the clothing itself only after the purchase, increasing unexpected nature of the clothing after the purchase, which in turn excites consumers' interest due to the unexpected nature. Furthermore, the purchased shrunk article of clothing may be appropriate for a surprise gift because of the unexpected nature thereof. In addition, since the shrunk article of clothing is displayed in a state that a tying string for performing the tying/shrinking process remains therein, the user/purchaser of the shrunk article of clothing can be engaged in the finishing process thereof by removing (untying, pulling out, taking off, destroying, etc.) the tying string, resulting in unique and interesting goods.

[0015] The displaying may be performed in a state that the shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with the tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a shape-holding member in the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string.

[0016] The displaying may be performed in a state that the shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with the tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a doll having a size corresponding to the entirely reduced size of the shrunk article of clothing in the shrunk article of clothing.

[0017] The displaying may be performed in a state that the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a bottle having a size corresponding to the entirely reduced size of the shrunk article of clothing in the shrunk article of clothing.

[0018] The displaying is performed in a state that the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string is held in a predetermined shape by interposing a hanger having a size corresponding to the entirely reduced size of the shrunk article of clothing in the shrunk article of clothing.

[0019] It is preferable that the tying process is performed such that the tying string is hard to be recognized.

[0020] The tying string may be a chemically treated fragile/easy-to-break cotton string.

[0021] Other objects and the features will be apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be more fully described and better understood from the following description, taken with the appended drawings, in which:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a front view showing an original article of clothing for blouses to which a tying process has not been performed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 2 is a front view showing a shrunk article of clothing with a tying string to which a tying process was performed;

[0025]FIG. 3A is an explanatory view showing the so-called Miura tying method;

[0026]FIG. 3B is an explanatory view showing the so-called spider tying method;

[0027]FIG. 3C is an explanatory view showing the so-called Kanoko tying method;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a front view showing a shrunk article of clothing with a tying string to which a heat shrinking (treating) process was given to the shrunk article of clothing with a tying string shown in FIG. 2;

[0029]FIG. 5 shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 4 is put on a doll;

[0030]FIG. 6 shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 4 is put on a hanger;

[0031]FIG. 7 shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 4 is put on a bottle;

[0032]FIG. 8 shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 4 is folded a snake-like rolled shape;

[0033]FIGS. 9A and 9B show the processes for pulling the tying string out of the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 4;

[0034]FIG. 10 is a front view showing the shrunk article of clothing from which the tying string was pulled out;

[0035]FIG. 11 is an explanatory view for explaining the breaking/removing of the fragile tying string;

[0036]FIG. 12 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1, and shows an original article of clothing for tank tops;

[0037]FIG. 13 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 2, and shows a shrunk article of clothing obtained by subjecting a tying process to the article of clothing shown in FIG. 12;

[0038]FIG. 14 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 4, and shows the shrunk article of clothing obtained by subjecting a heat shrinking (treating) process to the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 13;

[0039]FIG. 15 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 6, and shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 14 is put on a hanger;

[0040]FIG. 16 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 7, and shows the state where the shrunk article of clothing shown in FIG. 14 is put on a small bottle; and

[0041]FIG. 17 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 10, and shows the shrunk article of clothing in the state where the tying string was pulled out of the shrunk article of clothing with a tying string shown in FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] A preferable embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0043]FIG. 1 shows an original article of clothing 1 as a blouse to which a tying process and a shrinking process have not been performed. FIG. 1 shows the size of the original article of clothing 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the shoulder width is 55 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 70 cm, respectively, the length is 80 cm, and the whole shoulder width with sleeve developed is 110 cm.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, a tying process or a shrinking process is subjected to the whole article of clothing 1 to obtain a shrunk article of clothing 2 with a tying string B having an entirely reduced size.

[0045] The aforementioned tying process may be preferably performed by the so-called Miura tying method, the falled spider tying method or the so-called Kanako tying method. According to the aforementioned Miura-tying method, as shown in FIG. 3A, after putting a tying string B around the basal portion of the tying portion, the tying string B is put around the adjacent tying portion in the same manner as mentioned above. According to the aforementioned spider tying method, as shown in FIG. 3B, after putting the tying string B around the basal portion of the tying portion twice, the tying string B winds upward spirally toward the top. Thereafter, the tying string B winds downward toward the bottom portion of the tying portion, and then the tying string B is put around the adjacent tying portion in the same manner as mentioned above. Furthermore, according to the aforementioned Kanako tying method, as shown in FIG. 3C, after puting the tying string B on the basal portion of the tying portion twice, and then the tying string B is put around the adjacent tying portion in the same manner as mentioned above. In the present invention, however, the tying process is not limited to the above, and may be performed by any other known method.

[0046] Since the stand-up dimension A (see FIG. 3A) formed by the tying process is large, when the tying process is performed to the entire area of the original article of clothing 1, a shrunk article of clothing 3 having a large reduction rate can be obtained.

[0047] In order to facilitate a finishing process which will be mentioned later, it is preferable that an end of the tying string B used for the tying process extends outwardly from the shrunk article of clothing 3.

[0048] Furthermore, in cases where the aforementioned tying process is uniformly subjected to the entire article of clothing 1 at the angle of about 45°, a shrunk article of clothing 3 with elasticity in the whole direction of about 360° can be obtained, which further enhances the size reduction. The elasticity or the like increases as the stand-up dimension A (see FIG. 3A) of the tied portion increases.

[0049] Furthermore, in cases where a colored string is used as the aforementioned tying string B, the shrunk article of clothing can be displayed with excellent ornament.

[0050] The shrunk article of clothing 2 with the tying string B manufactured as mentioned is subjected to a heat shrinking process as a shrinking treatment to obtain a shrunk article of clothing 3 with the tying string B shown in FIG. 4. In cases where the article of clothing is made of polyester, the heat process at the temperature of 110-150° C.×about 10 to 20 minutes, preferably 110-130° C.×10 to 20 minutes is performed. Through this heat process, the shrunk article of clothing 3 with the tying string B having an entirely reduced shape and size with elasticity can be obtained. In other words, the shrunk configuration is maintained. In this state, due to the heat shrinking process, the shrunk article of clothing 3 has the following size: the shoulder width is 17 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 18 cm, respectively, the length is 18 cm, and the whole shoulder width with sleeve developed is 21 cm.

[0051] In a case where the shrunk article of clothing 2 with the tying string B is a self-colored clothing 1, the shrunk article of clothing 2 will be subjected to both a dying process by a known method such as an immersion method and the aforementioned shrinking treatment.

[0052] The order or the time for subjecting to the dying process and/or the heat treating (shrinking) process may be changed arbitrarily.

[0053] In the present invention, the shrunk article of clothing 3 manufactured as mentioned above is displayed in the state that the tying string B used for the tying process remains in the shrunk article.

[0054] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the shrunk article of clothing 3 with a tying string B may be displayed in a state that the shrunk article of clothing 3 is put on a doll 4 having a small size corresponding to the size of the shrunk article of clothing 3. The shrunk article of clothing 3 put on a doll 4 as mentioned above may be preferably displayed in a shop window. Alternatively, the shrunk article of clothing 3 put on a doll 4 may be displayed in a state that the doll 4 wearing the shrunk article of clothing 3 is accommodated in a box (not shown). As the aforementioned doll 4, a doll-shaped sheet member or a stuffed doll may be used.

[0055] Thus, in cases where the shrunk article of clothing 3 having a reduced size is displayed in the state that the shrunk article of clothing 3 is put on a doll 4 having a size corresponding to the size of the shrunk article of clothing 3, the shrunk article of clothing 3 is recognized as a small clothing prepared for the doll 4. However, actually, this shrunk article of clothing 3 becomes a display that can further emphasize the unexpected nature that the shrunk article of clothing 3 can fit a wearer of any size from a child to an adult.

[0056] Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the shrunk article of clothing 3 with the tying string B may be displayed in the state that the shrunk article of clothing 3 is put on a hanger 4 a having a size corresponding to the size of the shrunk article of clothing 3. In this case, there are advantages such that it can be displayed, conveyed, stored, etc., in a compact size.

[0057] Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the shrunk article of clothing 3 with the tying string B may be displayed in the state that the shrunk article of clothing 3 is put on a bottle 4 c having a size corresponding to the size of the shrunk article of clothing 3. In this case, it may be useful, for example, to give stereoscopic effects, increase ornament effects, attract the customers' attention, offer topics or show unexpected nature.

[0058] Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the shrunk article of clothing 3 with the tying string B may be displayed in the state that the shrunk article of clothing 3 is folded in a snake-like rolled shape. Since these methods of displaying are novel, the shrunk article of clothing 3 displayed as mentioned above may also be used as an ornament. Accordingly, it is expected to attract the customers' attention or show unexpected nature.

[0059] The shrunk article of clothing 3 with the string B displayed as mentioned above is removed from the doll 3, the hanger 4 a or the bottle 4 c, and then subjected to a finishing process.

[0060] This finishing process is performed by a purchaser of this shrunk article of clothing 3. It is important that this finishing process can be completed quickly and simply when taking account of the purchaser's impatient feeling to complete the finishing process. It is preferable that this finishing process can be completed between about 30 seconds and about 2 minutes, more preferably, between about 30 seconds and about 1 minute.

[0061] In this embodiment, the finishing process can be performed by pulling the tying string B coming out of this shrunk article of clothing 3. Since the finishing process can be completed quickly and simply only by pulling the tying string B via the processes shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, the aforementioned conditions can be fulfilled. After the completion of the finishing process, if necessary, the shrunk article of clothing may be subjected to a washing process in cold water and then to a drying process.

[0062] This shrunk article of clothing 3 to which the finishing process was performed has the following size as shown in FIG. 10: the shoulder width is 20 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 21 cm, respectively, the length is 20 cm, and the whole shoulder width with sleeve developed is 25 cm.

[0063] In the aforementioned embodiment, the finishing process was performed by pulling the tying string B out of the shrunk article of clothing 3.

[0064] Alternatively, for example, a chemically treated breakable/fragile cotton yarn may be used as the tying string B, so that the finishing process can be performed by forcibly expanding the shrunk article of clothing 3 to thereby break the cotton yarn. Such a breakable/fragile tying string B may be obtained by, for example, subjecting a cotton string/yarn to a sulfuric acid treatment. For example, a cotton string/yarn is immersed into a solution having a specific gravity of about 1.84 and a mixture rate of sulfuric acid and water being 1:3-4 in volume ratio for about 5 minutes, and then subjected to a neutralization process, a drying process and the like. In the case of the shrunk article of clothing with the breakable/fragile tying string, as shown in FIG. 11, the tying string B can be easily broken by extending the article of clothing 3. After breaking the tying string B into pieces, the broken pieces of the tying string B may be removed by beating the shrunk article of clothing 3. Thereafter, if required, the shrunk article of clothing is subjected to a washing process in cold water and a drying process.

[0065] Alternatively, as a chemically treated breakable/fragile cotton yarn B, a water-soluble vinylon™ (vinal) capable of being soluble in hot water of about 50° C. to 80° C. may be employed. Since this water-soluble vinylon™ (vinal) has characteristics that dissolves when immersed in hot water, for example, a purchaser of the shrunk article of clothing can dissolve (remove) the tying string B by simply immersing the shrunk article of clothing in hot water of about 70° C. Accordingly, the tying string B can be removed simply and easily.

[0066] FIGS. 12 to 17 show the case where the present invention is applied to an article of clothing such as a tank top. As shown in FIG. 12, this original article of clothing 1 has the following size: the shoulder width is 55 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 65 cm, respectively, and the length is 60 cm. As shown in FIG. 14, after the heat shrinking process, the size will be: the shoulder width is 16 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 17 cm, respectively and the length is 17 cm. As shown in FIG. 17, after the finishing process, the size will be: the shoulder width is 19 cm, the breast width and the waist width are 21 cm, respectively, and the length is 20 cm. Since the other structures are the same as that of the aforementioned embodiment, the explanation will be omitted by allotting the same reference numeral to the corresponding portion.

[0067] According to the present invention, a method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing includes the steps of providing a shrunk article of clothing entirely reduced in size obtained by subjecting an article of clothing having a single large size to a tying process and/or a shrinking process, the shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with a tying string for performing the tying/shrinking process, and displaying the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string in a state that the shrunk article of clothing with the tying string is held in a predetermined shape without subjecting the shrunk article of clothing to a finishing process of removing the tying string from the shrunk article of clothing. Thus, after the purchase, a user/purchaser can selectively subject the shrunk article of clothing to the finishing process to obtain a shrunk article of clothing with elasticity due to the tying process and/or the shrinking process as a final product capable of fitting a wearer of any size. Accordingly, since the shrunk article of clothing is displayed in an extremely reduced state, the purchaser of this shrunk article of clothing can recognize the nature of the clothing itself only after the purchase, increasing unexpected nature of the clothing after the purchase, which in turn excites consumers' interest due to the unexpected nature. Thus, the purchased shrunk article of clothing may be appropriately used as a surprise gift because of the unexpected nature thereof. Furthermore, since the shrunk article of clothing is displayed in a state that a tying string used for a tying/shrinking process remains therein, the user/purchaser of the shrunk article of clothing can be engaged in the finishing process thereof by removing the tying string, resulting in interesting goods.

[0068] The terms and descriptions in this specification are used only for explanatory purposes and the present invention is not limited to these terms and descriptions. It should be appreciated that there are many modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims. A present invention permits any design-change, unless it deviates from the soul, if it is within the limits by which the claim was performed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing, the method comprising the steps of: providing a shrunk article of clothing entirely reduced in size obtained by subjecting an article of clothing having a single large size to a tying process and/or a shrinking process, said shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with a tying string for performing said tying/shrinking process; and displaying said shrunk article of clothing with said tying string in a state that said shrunk article of clothing with said tying string is held in a predetermined shape without subjecting said shrunk article of clothing to a finishing process of removing said tying string from said shrunk article of clothing, whereby a user can selectively subject said shrunk article of clothing to said finishing process to obtain a shrunk article of clothing with elasticity due to said tying process and/or said shrinking process as a final product capable of fitting a wearer of any size.
 2. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing as recited in claim 1, wherein said displaying is performed in a state that said shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with said tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a shape-holding member in said shrunk article of clothing with said tying string.
 3. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing as recited in claim 1, wherein said displaying is performed in a state that said shrunk article of clothing having an entirely reduced size fixed with said tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a doll having a size corresponding to said entirely reduced size of said shrunk article of clothing in said shrunk article of clothing.
 4. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing as recited in claim 1, wherein said displaying is performed in a state that said shrunk article of clothing with said tying string is held in a predetermined three-dimensional shape by interposing a bottle having a size corresponding to said entirely reduced size of said shrunk article of clothing in said shrunk article of clothing.
 5. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing as recited in claim 1, wherein said displaying is performed in a state that said shrunk article of clothing with said tying string is held in a predetermined shape by interposing a hanger having a size corresponding to said entirely reduced size of said shrunk article of clothing 4n said shrunk article of clothing.
 6. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing as recited in claim 1, wherein said tying process is performed such that said tying string is hard to be recognized.
 7. The method for displaying a shrunk article of clothing of claim 1, wherein said tying process is performed by using a chemically treated fragile cotton string.
 8. A shrunk article of clothing displayed by the method of claim
 1. 9. A method of selling a shrunk article of clothing by displaying said shrunk article of clothing by the method of claim
 1. 